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ID card 'flash and dash' warning
March 6, 2009
The national identity card scheme could be “fatally” undermined by cheaply produced fake cards, a leading industry expert has warned.
Toby Stevens, of the Enterprise Privacy Group, believes a shortage of fingerprint scanners could lead to an explosion in “flash and dash” fraud.
And that, he says, could scupper the scheme before it gets off the ground.
The Home Office has said it will set up a hotline for traders concerned about the authenticity of ID cards.
But it has no plans at this stage to issue scanners to shops, banks, pubs and other commercial premises.
And there is currently no timetable for scanners to be handed-out to immigration officers, job centres and police, although the Home Office insists this will happen.
The government is pushing ahead with the controversial ID card scheme, despite vocal opposition from both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, who say they will scrap the 4.7bn project on civil liberties and cost grounds.
A total of 50,000 cards are expected to be issued to foreign nationals by April and the first ID cards will be issued to British citizens later this year, when they are given to airside workers at London City and Manchester airports.
The government then plans to make the cards available to ordinary citizens in the Manchester area, as part of a “beacon” project.
The Home Office estimates that three million people will carry a card by 2010.
But Mr Stevens, who is a leading adviser to the government on ID cards from the business lobby, fears the scheme could be scuppered before it gets off the ground by a black market in fake cards.
He said: “In the early days, private companies won't be aware of what an ID card is supposed to look like, nor will they have the equipment to check the cards electronically, so 'flash and dash' is inevitable.
“For this reason, there is already a black market in fake ID Cards, even though the design for UK nationals has yet to be decided.”
National identity cards will contain fingerprints and face biometrics but there is no timetable for the introduction of scanners to authenticate them, meaning staff and officials will have to rely on visual checks.
But Mr Stevens said the biggest fraud threat would not come from criminals enrolling on the ID database with false identities or creating cards linked to cloned identities but from cheaply-produced fake ID cards, which are already available on the internet.
He said: “The government needs to realise that any fraud at all associated with ID cards – even if they are 'fake' ID cards that are not in fact a security failure in the national identity scheme – will create high-profile media headlines and undermine public and commercial confidence in the national identity scheme.
“Once ID cards are universal and pervasive in day-to-day life, the risk of this happening will be reduced, but if not properly managed then confidence could be fatally diminished.”
He said the government should ensure the scheme is rolled out as quickly as possible and focus on making the cards as “useful and attractive as possible” to promote uptake and combat fraud.
But a spokesman for the Identity and Passport Service dismissed fears that the cards will be prone to fraud.
He said: “To suggest incremental roll out of ID cards and electronic readers will undermine the security of the scheme and lead to more fraud is wrong.
“We recognise the importance of being able to validate cards. In addition to physical and technical design features of the card to prevent forgeries, we are considering how organisations will be able to check the validity of an identity card that is presented to them using a service similar to the current Passport Validation Service.
“We believe citizens will recognise the benefits of ID cards and they will quickly become seen as the preferred proof of identity by organisations looking to prevent identity fraud.”


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German music industry association, BVMI, and chart compiler GFK announced preliminary 2014 year-end results for the German music market. The overall market was valued around €1.48 billion, up 1.8% from 2013. Physical sales of CDs and records were down 1% in 2014, down from €1,452 million in 2013 to €1,437 million in 2014. Digital music grew by more than 12%, up from €328 million in 2013 to €367 million in 2014.
The German music market continues to see steady revenues as total market value in 2014 increased 1.8% from 2013. The music market experienced 1.2% growth from 2012-2013, recovering from five years of decline.
While physical still accounts for the majority of the market value, around 75%, digital has contributed to growth in recent years. From 2009-2012, digital music revenues saw an average increase of 19% slowing to 11% in 2013 and 12% in 2014. Slowed growth is likely a result from services like Deezer and Spotify, launched in 2011 and 2012, respectively, maturing in the market. Digital streaming revenue grew 88% from €36 million in 2012 to 2013 to €68 million. While final data won’t be released until March 2014, streaming growth is expected to increase, according to IHS.
Digital growth is slowing but more interesting is Germany’s physical market. Physical sale of music is declining more rapidly in markets like the UK with a 7.9% decline from 2013. However, Germany’s physical decline has been steadier, decreasing on average 4% per year since 2010 and only 1% in 2013 and 2014. While streaming revenue is experiencing a rapid increase, physical media still maintains over three-fourths of music market revenue.

domain: news


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Telecommunications giant Safaricom has reviewed downwards the amounts charged to transfer cash on its mobile money platform MPESA.
As from 21st August 2014, subscribers will see transaction fees reduced by up to two thirds for transfer amounts ranging between Sh10- to Sh1, 500. It currently costs between Sh3 and Sh66 to send amounts within this range.
The operator has also rationalized tariffs for sending amounts exceeding Sh1, 501 to an average of 0.8% percent of the transaction value.
CEO Bob Collymore says the revision is in tandem with usage trends with close to two thirds of all person to person transactions on the platform being within the Sh10 – Sh1500 band.
All other tariffs will remain unchanged.


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Showing results 1 - 10 of 3,026
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 3:30 PM
The Province is introducing a new cannabis retail licence that will allow eligible federally licensed cannabis producers to sell non-medical cannabis products from stores located at their cultivation site.
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 2:45 PM
InBC Investment Corp (InBC), the Province’s newest Crown corporation, is open for business and has launched its investment policy statement to guide decision-making to support a stronger, more resilient economy for British Columbians.
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 10:20 AM
People looking to get a mortgage in B.C. will soon have enhanced consumer protection under new legislation for mortgage service providers.
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 8:00 AM
The Province of B.C. is making improvements to the Highway 99/32nd Avenue Interchange in Surrey to make travel to and from South Surrey and White Rock safer and more efficient.
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 7:30 AM
Grace Lore, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, issued the following statement in honour of Sisters in Spirit Day and the National Day of Action for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people:
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 7:00 AM
Premier John Horgan has issued the following statement in honour of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement:
Monday, October 3, 2022 2:00 PM
Small businesses and non-profit organizations paying high property taxes because of future development potential may see some financial relief through new municipal property tax rate flexibility.
Monday, October 3, 2022 1:55 PM
Bill 27 - Attorney General Statutes Amendment Act (No. 2) 2022, was introduced in the legislative assembly on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022.
Monday, October 3, 2022 1:30 PM
Companies are invited to submit their qualifications for the second procurement for the Surrey Langley SkyTrain Project.
Monday, October 3, 2022 10:00 AM
People accessing health care in the Lower Mainland will benefit from more stable, consistent and supportive patient care as 133 housekeeping and food-service workers return to the public system as Fraser Health employees.


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Volkswagen will pause manufacturing of the T-Roc small crossover, its prime vendor in Europe, after heavy floods disrupted engine elements provides.
Output of different fashions throughout the automaker’s European manufacturing unit community can also be hit after a provider in Slovenia was impacted by flooding within the nation.
VW will halt T-Roc output at its Autoeuropa plant in Setubal, Portugal between Sept. 11 and Nov. 12, the manufacturing unit staff’ fee stated on Thursday.
It stated the corporate would quickly lay off employees throughout this time, however that the scenario because it stands now shouldn’t have a unfavorable impression on staff’ revenue.
Floods have severely affected a Slovenian firm that provides engine elements for the T-Roc, based on an inner memo despatched to the 5,000 staff on the plant close to Lisbon.
The provider affected by the flooding was solely capable of ship an order to a restricted extent, a VW spokesperson informed the DPA German press company
VW Group stated it’s “working with different suppliers to search out options to return to regular manufacturing within the affected plant as rapidly as doable.”
VW didn’t identify the provider. Slovenian press studies stated the corporate is KLS Ljubno, a gear rings producer that provides greater than 80 p.c of Europe’s automotive market.
Flooding brought on by storms inundated the manufacturing unit flooring with water and dirt, inflicting harm estimated at 100 million euros.
The flooding affected delicate devices and digital gadgets that should get replaced, KLS Ljubno CEO Mirko Strasek informed Slovenian media.
Strasek stated the corporate hopes to have the ability to restart some manufacturing in October.


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Over 13K people mint Coinbase commemorative ‘stand with crypto’ NFTs
Coinbase’s “Stand With Crypto” NFTs are purely commemorative and had no intended value or utility at press time.
U.S.-based crypto exchange Coinbase launched a commemorative non-fungible token (NFT), “Stand With Crypto,” after filing a legal action against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
According to its website, the NFT symbolizes unity among the crypto community seeking a clear and sensible policy.
The NFT features a blue shield, representing a collective stand to protect and promote the potential of crypto.
“The blue shield not only shows your support for the cause but also that you’re part of a growing community who believes in the future of crypto.”
Meanwhile, the team clarified that the NFTs are “purely commemorative” and “has no intended utility or value.”
All the proceeds associated with the NFT collection launched would be donated to vetted organizations through a Crypto Advocacy Round with Gitcoin, according to the website.
Over 13,000 individuals — including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong — have minted the NFT. OpenSea data shows that the collection has a total volume of 0.1793 ETH, and its floor price is 0.003 ETH.
Coinbase ramps up crypto advocacy efforts
Earlier in the year, Coinbase launched Crypto 435 — a grassroots crypto campaign targeted at influencing policy-making in the U.S.
At the time, the exchange said it would support crypto advocates with information on contacting politicians in local districts and data on their stance toward crypto.
The exchange’s legal action against the SEC is also aimed at forcing the financial regulator to develop guidance for companies in the crypto industry.
Over the weekend, Armstrong and his staff met with the SEC and members of the U.S. Congress.


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DC Collectionz by Dorothy Shonga set to be launched
Cash madam and entrepreneur, Dorothy Shonga, is set to launch a new fashion house soon.
Dorothy has confirmed to us that her new Fashion House will be called DC Collectionz.
The house will have shoes, hair, clothes, bags, watches and makeup. Her recent trip to China has started to yield fruits for the mother of three. Watch the space!!
Dorothy is a man misplaced in a lady’s body.
That’s why she gets battled with men and she keeps winning. I can tell from the propagandas am tagged with, the big names am tagged with and multimillion dollar contracts your tagging me with. Don’t mention of the men!oopps she must be a smart classy bitch. A rare breed of a woman indeed. Shoes at DC Collectionz available in all sizes,” Dorothy Shonga posted.


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This 7-Year-Old Makes $22 Million Per Year On YouTube
A first-grade YouTube star is already raking in about $22 million per year, and that figure is expected to grow significantly higher next year.
By nowproducerdave on December 4, 2018
I’ll quit my job today if I could make .5% of that in a year. A first-grader has a YouTube channel (with the help of his parents, of course), and earns an absolutely outstanding amount of money. He’s been in the news a few times this year, but we couldn’t pass up telling this story.
Ryan ToysReview does just that – he plays with toys on camera. It’s any 7-year-old’s dream to just play with toys all the time. Companies send toys, and he even has his own line of approved toys. A majority of the income comes from ads in the videos on YouTube. The more views his videos get, the more money the ads generate. He’s one of the topmost subscribed YouTube channels with over 17 million subscribers. That’s a lot of ad revenue.
But how does someone who plays with toys on video become so popular? Well, it’s because a lot of the people watching the videos are actually children themselves. There’s a theory that the “joy” of getting a new toy is the “unboxing” itself. Ryan has unboxing videos that other kids watch, and they get to experience the joy of opening a new toy even though they don’t have the physical item. There’s a lot more to Ryan’s story over here at Forbes.


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Super Mario 3D World launched last week, so what's next for Switch owners? A lot. On Wednesday Nintendo announced a roadmap for the next six months of Switch, a blizzard of new game announcements with two headlining reveals. First, a remasteredwill hit the Switch on July 15. Second, -- but unlike everything else at Wednesday's Nintendo Direct, it'll be released next year. The show wasn't absent of Mario either. , the iconic plumber's third golfing jaunt, comes out on June 25.
You can rewatch the entire 50-minute Nintendo Direct on YouTube here. Scroll down to see all of the big trailers from the keynote.
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
Skyward Sword was originally released on the Wii in 2011 and in July will come to the Switch with modified Joy-Con motion controls in which the controllers become a sword and a shield. Fret not: You can just play the old fashioned way, with buttons.
A gruff-looking Splatoon 3 is coming to Switch next year. It was the final announcement of the presentation and the only game shown that'll come out next year.
Mario Golf Super Rush
Mario's third sporting adventure on the Switch, following tennis and the Olympics with Sonic, is Mario Golf Super Rush. It'll launch in June.


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Partnering meetings with American veterinary schools such as 3D Medivision and the University of Pennsylvania
[Financial News] 3D MediVision announced on the 11th that it participated in the "AVMA Convention 2022" and held partnering meetings with the University of Pennsylvania and other U.S. veterinary colleges.
The "AVMA Convention 2022" is an event organized by the American Veterinary Association, which consists of 100,000 veterinarian members, and more than 7,000 people attended, including industry experts, veterinary colleges, and global pet-related companies. In particular, various companies such as Beringer, Merck, Hills, and Idex, as well as Joetis, the world's No. 1 animal drug company, have prepared 300 booths.
3DMedivision, the only Korean company to attend, drew attention by introducing Vet-TV based on Veterflix, a 3D medical education video platform needed for veterinary schools in the United States.
Last year, as the global version of Veterflix obtained the AAVSV's approval for training education (RACE) for the first time in Korea, it was requested to partner with a number of U.S. veterinary colleges, including the University of Pennsylvania. In the future, follow-up meetings will be held to supply Vet-TV based on Veterflix.
RACE is a compulsory training course for renewal of U.S. veterinarian qualifications and is an essential course for approval of CE-CREDIT, which covers about 133. Currently, 3DMedivision is in the process of approving the eligibility to provide CE-CREDIT for all contents of Global Veterflix.
In addition, the discussion on partnering with online CE education companies to provide veterinary medical education content programs has been successfully completed.
"Through this event, we confirmed the actual demand for veterinary education platforms at many U.S. veterinary colleges and discussed partnering," a company official said. "We plan to expand global Veterflix's overseas market share through follow-up meetings."
"As domestic sales increase by producing high-quality 3D content based on VGTC, the largest in Asia and the first number of education and training centers in Korea, overseas sales are expected in the second half of this year," he said. "In addition, we will speed up preparations for listing on the KOSDAQ."
Source : https://www.fnnews.com/news/202208111042265946 (kr)
고광진 쓰리디메디비젼·베터플릭스 부사장
The AVMA Convention event, which had been suspended for a while due to COVID-19, was held in Philadelphia. The event was also held online at the same time.
I attended the event for a specific purpose, and sharing the contents and atmosphere of AVMA's event seems to be meaningful to DailyBet readers, and I contribute to the observation because it will help establish the direction of business development in related industries.
AVMA is the American Veterinary Association. It can be seen as an organization like the Korean Veterinary Society (KVMA).
AVMA stands for "We are AVMA, This is our passion. This is our profession. This is the AVMA" and consists of about 100,000 veterinarian members.
The basic objectives of AVMA are as follows.
1. Protect the main issues and rights and interests of veterinarians while enhancing their medical service capabilities.
2. It is in charge of licensing educational programs to improve the quality of veterinary medical care.
3. Provide related products and services to promote veterinarians' business success or medical service opportunities.
4. Raise the status of veterinarians by informing the general public how important and diverse they are.
It is part of this purpose that Seoul National University's College of Veterinary Medicine has been certified by AVMA and qualified as a veterinary education college to become a U.S. veterinarian.
AVMA Convention 2022 ran from July 29 to August 2 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
The total number of registered people was 8,000 (1,000 online), and there was a lot of time to obtain CE credit.
Celebrities' Key Note speeches are held every day, and most of the sessions take place in the large meeting room above. Lectures are held in more than a dozen meeting rooms, so you can select and listen to the necessary sessions.
In addition, in the large space called CE theater, there was a lot of time for sponsoring companies to explain their products. Perhaps because various prizes and products were provided, the number of participants was quite large.
From the perspective of the company, it is an excellent means to directly provide product information to potential customers and receive contacts to continue marketing in the future.
About 300 companies participated in the exhibition hall, and 3D MediVision was the only Korean company. I think there will be a psychological burden on distance, and the number of participating companies is expected to increase considering the intensifying marketing environment.
It is a little short of the size of the WVC in Las Vegas and the VMX in Florida, but there was still a solid aspect of the representation of the veterinary society called AVMA. Therefore, it seems that it is worth considering participating in market research for veterinary related companies to enter the United States. Although they did not participate in the booth, there were two Korean companies that visited the site to explore the market. Next year's AVMA Convention 2023 will be held in Denver in July, so interested companies can review it.
Many drug companies such as Beringer Ingelheim, Joetis, and Merck participated, and feed companies such as Hills, Royal Canin, equipment companies such as Idex, as well as animal hospital chains such as Banfield participated.
3D MediVision introduced the 3D veterinary video Vet-TV service required by the U.S. Veterinary College, which was well received and promised the next meeting with several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, the desired purpose of participating in the event was achieved by discussing the provision of programs with several online CE education companies.
Source : www.dailyvet.co.kr/news/academy/170324 (kr)


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By GRACE GADDY
For Palestine residents, Black Friday seemed to be a toss-up between the calm and the storm.
During peak doorbuster hours, a parking space was hard to come by — just ask anyone who happened to be at Palestine Walmart Thanksgiving evening — while other times offered a still shopping atmosphere.
Local resident Jennifer Willmot was among the adventurous crowd.
She braved doorbuster deals at Walmart and J.C. Penney Thanksgiving evening, and was up again the next day at Bealls department store, with an arm full of toys for her nephew.
“You know, I'm just looking for last-minute deals,” she said.
Willmot joined the crowd at Palestine Walmart about 45 minutes before 6 p.m., when door-busters officially kicked off. She had come prepared with a relative's list in hand but chose to change directions when things got a little, well, out of line.
“Walmart was really chaos. We were in line for sheets and a fight broke out,” she said.
While the price was a good one, Willmot got out of the rush. “I was like, 'No, thank you,'” she said of the experience.
But is the annual shopping event still worth the chaos? Willmot thinks it is.
“I think it's fun when you take family and friends,” she said — as well as the obvious perk of stretching her dollar. “I believe in coupon-ing and all that good stuff. Whenever I can save a penny, I'm going to do it.”
For others, a frosty Friday seemed preferable to the earlier shopping storm.
Norman Thompson and his son, Greg, were among a number of customers breezing along at Lowe's in Palestine on Black Friday.
“We're just looking for a gas grill — a barbeque pit,” Norman said, “and looking for the best value.”
“And enjoying the sunshine!” Greg chimed in.
By mid-morning, the frost had melted and the crowds of Christmas past were nowhere in sight.
Accordingly, Anna Kempf, another customer at the store, said she was “pleasantly pleased” at how calm her Black Friday shopping was going.
Downtown shop owners observed a peaceful atmosphere as well, including L & L Shoe Store and Charles Dickens Fine Jewelry & Gifts.
Linda Dickens of Charles Dickens Fine Jewelry & Gifts said most people were just enjoying time at home.
“Everybody that has called me this morning... says, 'Well, we're coming downtown, (but) we're drinking coffee right now,” she said with a laugh.
After all, there's still 25 days to snag those gifts.


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The Boston Tech 30
Boston and innovation have a long, beautiful history together. Our town was the birthplace of email, Facebook, and the computerized spreadsheet, of public schools and American higher education. (And while we’re at it, let’s not forget the microwave oven, the burglar alarm, and the disposable razor.)
So what’s the state of innovation in Boston right now? More important, who are the people leading innovation when it comes to technology and entrepreneurship? On the following pages we present the first-ever Boston Tech 30. It’s a wide-ranging list, from the CEOs of star companies like HubSpot and Wayfair, to heavy-hitting VC types funding the next wave of innovation, to dynamic young entrepreneurs who just might be building Boston’s new breakout corporations.
GE’s move to town this summer—not to mention the explosion of tech startups in places such as Kendall Square, Downtown Crossing, and the Seaport—signal not only a healthy present for Boston tech, but also a vital future. Want to be part of the scene? These are the people you need to meet to turn your big idea into a reality. Just want to know who’s leading the most dynamic sector of Boston’s economy right now? These are 30 names you need to remember.
There’s a definite pecking order in high-tech circles, with entrepreneurs, technical talent, and venture capitalists near the top. Farther down are the “service providers”—lawyers, bankers, real estate agents, and the like. Aldsworth, managing director of Silicon Valley Bank, is technically a member of the service provider class, but she’s been so active in the Boston startup community that it’s almost like no one notices. And besides, she says, “I don’t really like banking.” Instead, her bank’s platform affords Aldsworth the chance to do what she really enjoys, which is to work directly with entrepreneurs—including TJ Parker, of the next-gen online pharmacy PillPack, and Dulcie Madden, of the “smart nursery” startup Rest Devices—on their day-to-day. Aldsworth also cofounded a women’s CEO group with Katie Rae, of Project 11 Ventures.
Balter’s word-of-mouth marketing startup, BzzAgent, and his skills-testing site, Smarterer, encountered plenty of naysayers along the way. Both companies dumbfounded fans of the status quo—and yet each would go on to be acquired for a handsome sum. In the process, Balter became a go-to angel investor, backing about 50 startups so far, and he’s become equally well known for throwing startup-community parties that are the stuff of legend. “Events help accelerate the pace of innovation,” Balter says. “Plus, who doesn’t like to attend an all-out open-bar rager for 800 of your closest friends?”
Behind the artificially intelligent robot that’s vacuuming your floor right now, there’s human intelligence—specifically, that of Brooks. A longtime MIT professor—now emeritus—Brooks invented the Roomba and cofounded the company that sells it, Bedford-based iRobot. A little farther down his résumé is his work on the Sojourner rover, which was sent to Mars (maybe you saw its cameo in the film The Martian last year). Today, Brooks is focused on his company Rethink Robotics and its humanlike robot Baxter, which is smart enough to labor side by side with factory workers. For all of his brains, there’s something Brooks doesn’t get: people who think that sci-fi nightmares of an AI uprising could actually come true. “All of this stuff about super-intelligent robots, it ain’t happening,” he says. “I’ve been making these [intelligent robots] real—making them more real than anyone else—and it’s hard work.”
When Bussgang published a book aiming to demystify the interplay between entrepreneur and venture capitalist, it had some serious cred built in, given that Bussgang cofounded the loyalty-marketing startup Upromise before joining Flybridge Capital Partners, which has backed high-flying companies including MongoDB and DataXu. Tying the two worlds together, Bussgang’s 2011 book, Mastering the VC Game, has served to raise his profile well beyond Boston (so has his post as a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School). Bussgang is now at work on a second book that, like his first, will be more focused on making an impact than on reaching the bestseller lists. “One of my favorite comic-book heroes as a kid was Spider-Man, who always liked to say, ‘With great power comes great responsibility,’” Bussgang says. “I don’t think I have a lot of power per se, but I do feel tremendous responsibility to Greater Boston as a whole and the tech community in particular.”
In the world of open-source software, Buytaert stands as a giant for being the original creator of Drupal. The free system for managing Web content has evolved into one of the most popular ways to run a website since its beginnings in 2000 (it now powers one out of every 40 sites, according to Buytaert). That’s partly thanks to his Boston company, Acquia, which helps businesses get onto Drupal. Acquia has been one of the fastest-growing tech firms in Boston since its launch in 2007, and its client list includes the likes of Pinterest and the BBC. “Building a new kind of company like Acquia is the harder, less-traveled path,” Buytaert says. “But we always believed it would be the best path.”
Cancel fits the description of a “serial entrepreneur” as well as anyone in Boston. Between 2000 and 2011 he founded and sold four startups, a breakneck pace even for the tech world. “I love the grind,” says Cancel, whose Twitter following of 119,000 suggests many people love what he has to say about the grind, too. Cancel is a “role model to many young leaders in Boston,” says Kayak cofounder Paul English. Cancel’s cachet also stems from his time at HubSpot, which bought his startup Performable in 2011 and which he helped make into a top player in the hot marketing technology sector. “It’s all about the process and putting in the work,” Cancel says. Which, by the way, he’s now going through with his fifth startup, Drift.
For some entrepreneurs, their story stops getting interesting at the point that they sell their startup. For Chang, the startup sale was just a prelude. Cofounder of the app-crash reporting tool Crashlytics, Chang sold it to Twitter in 2013 for more than $100 million—roughly 17 times what the company had raised in funding. And he’s stuck by Twitter, which opened a Cambridge office following the acquisition, ever since. The Crashlytics team and technology have provided the basis for many of Twitter’s mobile efforts, including the development platform Fabric. “The traction, distribution, and execution has been phenomenal,” Chang says. “And that’s largely attributed to the amazing talent that exists only in Boston.” Meanwhile, Chang also ranks among the most prominent young investors in local startups, with more than 45 investments to date. His mantra: “I believe in paying it forward.”
Though he’s one of the most-mentioned names throughout the tech industry, Christensen has never launched a billion-dollar startup himself. He’s done plenty of innovating by proxy, however. The Harvard Business School professor is most famous for authoring The Innovator’s Dilemma, a book that promulgated his theory of “disruptive innovation” and inspired untold numbers of startups to do what they do—i.e., take on bigger, slower-moving companies. Or “disrupt” them, as we now say thanks to Christensen. Yet even with the wide circulation of his ideas, Christensen sees signs that many companies are still lousy at embracing technological change. “And it distresses me,” he says. “We have a tendency to believe that bad things will happen to everybody else, but not to us. But the theory of disruption predicts that disruption will occur in almost every industry.” Christensen’s latest book, Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice, will be out this month.
Cirino has had a front-row seat to the transformation of cybersecurity into one of the hottest areas of high tech. After launching and successfully leading a security startup, Guardent, through its acquisition in 2003, Cirino cofounded .406 Ventures in 2006: The aim was to invest in areas, like cybersecurity, that were considered unsexy at the time. Fast-forward a decade, and headlines about data breaches suggest that was a prescient course to choose. “I’m proud that we built the kind of firm we envisioned from day one,” Cirino says. Among the Boston cybersecurity companies that .406 has backed are Carbon Black and Veracode, both candidates for going public in the near future.
If imitation is a form of flattery, then English can consider himself abundantly flattered. There’s a long list of direct clones for Kayak, the travel search site he cofounded in 2004 and copiloted as CTO for a decade. Then there’s another lengthy list of “Kayak-for-X” startups, which borrow Kayak’s approach of offering side-by-side price comparisons. After convincing much of the world to book flights and hotels online, though, he’s now doing a bit of an about-face. That’s because with his new travel concierge app, Lola, he’s looking to bring human travel agents back into the mix. Let the countdown to the Lola copycats begin.


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Some customers who joined Optus before August 2021 may not be able to access the telco’s data compensation without switching to direct debit.
Following the Optus network outage last week, the provider has issued a range of "goodwill gestures" to its customers by way of compensation for the down time. Postpaid customers can access free bonus data via a 100GB data Add-On in the My Optus app, but reportedly some have been prompted to update their payment method before the $0 transaction can take place.
An Optus spokesperson told WhistleOut that all Choice Plus plans require an automatic payment method to be linked to the account at all times. Without these payment details, customers won’t be able to add their extra data.
When Optus updated its Choice plans to Choice Plus in August 2021, direct debit became mandatory for all users on these plans. Therefore it is likely this glitch is affecting customers that joined the telco prior to this change, before an automatic payment method was required.
WhistleOut was made aware of the issue when various TikTok users commented on a video about the compensation, noting it was unavailable unless customers use automatic payments. Users took to a similar video by TikTok creator itstwaj to oppose mandatory direct debit.


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A new version of RIM’s BlackBerry Music Gateway includes NFC pairing support, allowing BlackBerry NFC phone users to stream music from their phone to a home or car stereo. The Verge has a hands-on review of the US$49.99 device.
- Huawei expands NFC mobile payments to Hong Kong
- Giant Eagle trials scan-free self-checkout in US supermarket
- Amorim adds NFC to cork bottle stoppers
- LG Pay goes live in the US with NFC and mag stripe mobile payments
- East reports on Apple Pay fraud in Europe


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Dusseldorf, London Unilever stock moves very little in normal times. But in the past few days, she has had a real roller coaster ride: On Monday, the price of the consumer goods giant rose by up to eight percent – more than it has been for a year and a half. Last week, the value of the paper had fallen to a similarly low level within a day.
The trigger for the recent price jump is the entry of the activist investor Nelson Peltz into Unilever. His New York hedge fund Trian Partners has acquired a stake in the British firm, the Financial Times first reported on Sunday. The exact amount is not known, the parties involved did not want to comment on it.
Peltz will increase the pressure on Unilever and its controversial CEO Alan Jope. The Briton, who has been leading the group since 2019, urgently needs to find a new strategy and transform the group into a more promising company.
The sales of Unilever, whose range of brands with food (Knorr, Pfanni), cosmetics (Axe, Dove) and cleaning agents (Coral, Domestos) covers the entire spectrum in the consumer goods market, have been weak for years. The share price has also developed worse than that of the competition.
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Last week, Jope tried to break free with a mega deal. Unilever offered around 50 billion pounds – the equivalent of around 60 billion euros – for the consumer goods division of the pharmaceutical giant Glaxo-Smithkline (GSK), known for the toothpaste Sensodyne or the pain ointment Voltaren. It would have been the largest acquisition since the pandemic began and in Unilever’s history.
GSK takeover attempt was ‘near-death experience’
But the attempt failed. On the one hand, GSK rejected the offer as too low, on the other hand, the criticism from Unilever investors and analysts was unusually harsh: Bert Flossbach from the Cologne fund house Flossbach von Storch spoke out publicly against the takeover.
The British star fund manager Terry Smith even described the takeover attempt in a letter to his investors as a “near-death experience”. Management should improve the performance of the existing business before taking on new challenges. Smith’s word carries weight: he is considered the British Warren Buffett, holds around £800 million in Unilever shares through a fund and is one of the 15 largest investors.
He and other market observers justified their criticism with the fact that GSK mainly offers medical products that entail completely different regulatory hurdles than the Unilever portfolio. In addition, the price for the GSK division was too high, Unilever should have taken on too much debt.
Only when CEO Jope declared the takeover attempt a failure last Wednesday did the share price recover. The recent price jump shows that the shareholders are hoping for new growth from the entry of the hedge fund Trian. The sale of low-growth brands, as analysts have been recommending for some time, has become more likely after entry.
Investor Peltz is familiar with the consumer goods industry
The 79-year-old Peltz has proven many times that he can increase company value, said analyst Martin Deboo of the US investment bank Jefferies. The hedge fund has often achieved this through spin-offs. Deboo expects that the mood around Unilever is now brightening.
In fact, Peltz has worked for other consumer goods companies such as Procter & Gamble (P&G), Pepsico, Danone, Kraft Foods and Mondelez. His hedge fund Trian is known for providing operational advice to his holdings, presenting himself as a partner rather than an activist breaking up companies.
Around 2012 he helped the food manufacturer Danone to reduce its costs. In 2018, Peltz joined the board of directors of consumer goods giant P&G (Ariel, Pampers, Gillette). He helped Unilever simplify its structure and brand diversity. When he left the board in August 2021, P&G shares were up 85 percent and sales were up 15 percent.
In this way, he should now also start at Unilever. CEO Jope announced last week that he intends to present a new strategy this month. Unilever wants to focus more on the areas of health, beauty and hygiene because they promise higher and more sustainable growth.
Selling the grocery store?
At the same time, Jope plans to divest areas with lower growth. According to analysts, this could affect the food sector. For example, Unilever sells ice cream under the brands Ben & Jerry’s and Langnese or Hellmann’s mayonnaise.
Observers expect that Peltz should now force a separation of the grocery business from the household and personal care business at Unilever. They expect the ice cream brands to be sold or to exit the food segment altogether. Unilever boss Jope said last week that there were no plans to sell the entire food division. But the pressure from the new investor could lead to a rethink.
In the first nine months of last year, Unilever generated 41 percent of its group turnover of 39.3 billion pounds with cosmetics. A little less comes from the food sector. A fifth made Unilever with detergents.
More: Biggest deal since Corona: Why Unilever wants to pay more than 50 billion for a GSK division


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On Tuesday, July 24, close to 200 Domino's Pizza locations in the Greater Toronto Area will raise funds for SickKids. The event is in recognition of a significant milestone: the 35th anniversary of Domino’s opening its first store in Canada. During this one-day event, customers can receive a medium, cheese or pepperoni pizza for $3.50 (carry-out only). $1.00 from each of these orders sold will be donated to SickKids.
Каждый народ имеет то правительство, которое он заслуживает.


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Tesla (TSLA) has been one of if not the only name that came to mind when one thinks about electric vehicles (EV’s). The real question is, will that be the case in the next couple of years? Legacy automakers are set to put out several new EV’s and loyalty is likely to have an effect. Yet, Tesla is set to deliver over 1.4 million cars in 2022 with major capacity increases coming later on this year and into 2023 thanks to Giga-Berlin and Giga-Texas coming online. It feels like we are at a pivot point, and the stock seems to be trading that way as well. 2022 is going to be a big year for EV’s across the globe.
One of my pet peeves with Tesla bulls on Twitter/Discord platforms is how easily they dismiss the competition. They seem to think that the competition is just going to roll over and let them dominate the market. Before I dig into this and take the competition’s side for sake of argument, I will say that the missed deadline flak that Tesla gets has happened to the legacy automakers as well. For example, back in 2017 General Motors (GM) came out and said they will have “at least 20 new all-electric vehicles that will launch by 2023“. Near the end of 2020, that changed to “GM is on its way to an all-electric future, with a commitment to 30 new global electric vehicles by 2025“. My point here is to take any commitment to a “new model” with a grain of salt from any of these companies, Tesla included.
Tesla bulls love to talk about how late to the game the legacy companies are. I don’t think the legacy automakers didn’t believe in EV’s, I think they were waiting until it made financial sense, in terms of EV’s being profitable, before doing it. It’s easier said than done and they were making good money selling ICE cars, why change? Now as the EV market share is exploding, they are getting in the game quickly. Why does this affect Tesla? Brand loyalty is a real thing, and I think Tesla Perma bulls underestimate how hard it is to pry someone from a brand they are loyal to. Looking below we can see the J.D Power 2020 U.S Automotive Brand Loyalty Study results. This was a two-year (and continuing) study that calculates whether an owner purchased the same brand after trading in an existing vehicle on a new vehicle. Loyalty percentage is based on the percentage of vehicle owners who choose the same brand when trading in or purchasing their next vehicle.
Subaru ranks highest among mass-market brands and highest overall in the automotive industry for a second consecutive year with a loyalty rate of 60.5%. Industry giant Toyota ranks second (60.3%), followed by Honda(58.7%), Ram(57.3%), and Ford(54.3%). If Tesla wants to sell 20 million cars a year, this is who they have to compete with. Easier said than done. There’s no question they will pull some customers away but how many?
What Tesla does have going for it, is often when you think about EV, you think Tesla. But there are going to be plenty of options out there over the next 5 years, and it’s going to be the consumers’ favorite brands putting them out there. Now as I said, take these timelines with a grain of salt (especially if we continue to see supply chain disruptions), but in 2022/2023 we are expecting to see the launch of:
There are 38 cars on this list. If you want to see more detail on all of them, check it out here. I didn’t even include some of the fringe brands or new startups. My point here is that the competition is alive and well. If a consumer is currently driving an ICE vehicle, and they see that the brand they are loyal to is going to be coming out with an EV in the next 2 to 3 years, why would they drop it and buy a Tesla now? The stats say that’s not very likely. The other argument is that the performance of a Tesla is so much better, which does hold water. True car junkies might hop onto the Tesla train simply based on performance, which is fair. But what drives consumer choice? Well, studies show the following factors come into play:
Upon doing the research for this piece, I was shocked at how low price was on the list. Now, this list is old and I searched for a newer one, but I could not find it. I do think Fuel Economy or “EV/Hybrid” makes the list, but where is it at this point? EV sales are growing and growing quickly. There were 6.6 million sold in 2021. That’s more than triple the market share from two years prior. It may only total 9% of the car market at this point, but at the rate of growth we are seeing, that’s only going to increase. Looking below, we can see just how steep the growth curve is getting. If this were a stock, would you invest? If you’re undecided, check out the SuperBowl ads from this past Sunday and just count the commercials that show EV’s in them. If you were watching, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Check out which brands are spending as much as $6.5 million for a 30-second hit while you’re at it. They know what they are doing. Could this be free advertising for Tesla given that many of the cars shown arent available quite yet? Possibly. But I do think the loyal owners will be patient.
jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images
Knowing full well that the competition is going to be pandering to their loyal customers, Tesla finds itself in a tricky situation. There is something to be said for having sold 936,172 cars in 2021, but they aren’t the only ones putting up big EV numbers. The VW group (Volkswagen, ŠKODA, SEAT, CUPRA, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Porsche, and Ducati) put out 763,000 with 549,000 coming out of Europe. But! Guess which EV was the best-selling car in Europe? The Tesla Model 3 noted 142,905 new registrations, which is the 17th best result overall, best in the midsize class, and of course, the best among plug-ins. The Model 3 won by a landslide. The second best-selling car was the Renault ZOE in 2021, with 72,562 registrations.
The above picture shows where the change is happening, and where it’s delayed. For Tesla, it is extremely important that they maintain dominance in Europe, and grow market share in China. They have the US market well under control at the current time, and I think that will continue with ease for the next few years as the legacy automakers bring some of the cars I listed earlier to market. So what do they do in 2022? Well, if we take the company goal of increasing deliveries by 50% annually, the math takes us to ~1.4 million deliveries in 2022. I think this is a huge year for Tesla on the back of Giga-Shanghai and Giga-Berlin growth, and I think they will blow 1.4 million deliveries out of the water.
I’ll start with Giga-Shanghai. It is expected that within a few years, there is the capacity to produce over 1 million cars per year. Now, that could be a bit pie in the sky, and there would need to be some serious expansion, but we are already seeing expansion work underway. According to the annual report for 2021, the current capacity is 450,000 vehicles per year. How much of an increase the current expansion will amount to hasn’t been announced, but what we do know is that they are hiring. On the first day back after the Chinese New Year, there were more than 1,500 positions advertised. Tesla floated out numbers that they could be looking to increase their workforce from 4,000 to 19,000 by April of this year.
As for Giga-Berlin, it really is the wild card in 2022. They are still waiting for approval to produce cars for delivery. As of now, we are hoping to see this come through in mid-March. The approval was originally expected to come through last summer. It has been delayed several times, most recently for the still ongoing safety precaution examinations that are being performed. The long-term goal here is over 500,000 cars annually. Tesla has come out and said that they hope to produce ~30,000 cars there by the midway point of 2022. So much of that is dependent on when the approval does come through.
Essentially all of what Tesla has done so far has come out of the Fremont Factory and Giga-Shanghai, which is impressive. So why is this a pivot point? With Giga-Berlin, and Giga-Texas potentially both coming online this year, expectations are high. If we continue to see delay after delay in getting these factories up and running, investors may start to doubt the growth potential. As I said, I do think that the target of 1.4 million cars delivered gets hit this year, but if we see the growth rate slow and see the competition ramp up, especially in North America, things could get very interesting in 2023 and beyond.
As much as the company is at a pivot point, so is the share price. Fitting? As I mentioned, the goal to sell 20 million cars per year is what investors are looking for. The second we see that growth slow down, the share price will likely fall with it. As I said, I do expect them to grow deliveries greater than expectations, which should be bullish. But at the end of the day, price action is what matters. Let’s dive into that.
In my previous Tesla article, I mentioned that the stock could find the 200-day moving average. I also mentioned that my stop was in at $844, which was taken out on the 27th of January. As the stock continued to dip the following day, I readded a position around $802. I figured $800 would serve as support, and I had a stop-in at $779. Looking below, we can see the current setup is appealing. We can see strong support around $780, and right around $900 which is pretty well right where the stock closed on Thursday. I very quickly moved my stop up to just under the 200-day moving average. That is the orange line on the chart below. We can see that it’s not perfect, but there is clearly support right along the moving average.
The action we are seeing now is actually very positive. I know some may be annoyed it’s not doing anything, but bases are good. It creates a strong support level. Below is a 5-minute chart that shows how we have been range-bound for pretty well all of February so far. A break out of this range will likely set the pace for where we are headed in the short-medium term.
Be mindful of a potential fake breakout. If the stock does move over $948, put a stop in near the top of the range to protect capital. Often in these setups, we see the first move be a fakeout or bull/bear trap before reversing rather quickly. The only way to protect against this is with a stop. Tesla is extremely volatile but has a lot of potential given the explosive potential growth. I still think a general melt-up is coming in the market, and there’s no way that happens without Tesla given their market weighting. My short-term target is still $1200. Once we break through that, it’s game on.
As you can see, the EV market is getting very interesting. Tesla remains the top dog, but the competition is heating up all around them as legacy auto looks to capture their piece of the pie. Tesla is set to hit and surpass their growth targets in 2022, especially if Giga-Berlin and Giga-Texas come online at some point this year. Tesla is set up for long-term success in the marketplace, the longer-term concern is the growth rate. Yes, Tesla is more than just cars, but the bulk of the share price action tends to happen around delivery news. That could change over the next couple of years, but Tesla sits at a pivot point both fundamentally and technically in the market. It’s going to be a huge year in the EV market.
This article was written by
Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of TSLA either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.


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The Samsung Galaxy S10 has long been rumored to include an in-display fingerprint sensor, and now a new Samsung patent almost confirms this feature, if not for the S10, perhaps for another upcoming handset.
What the new Samsung patent reveals
This new Samsung patent was filed with the (World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in April and published just yesterday. The patent is titled “Biometric sensor and device including the same,” and it details the working of the optical in-display fingerprint scanner.
This is not the first time we have seen patent like this, but it is the most advanced implementation of the scanner to have come forward so far. Samsung’s patent addresses an issue which causes the external elements to make the scanner inefficient over time.
Gates Capital Management's ECF Value Funds have a fantastic track record. The funds (full-name Excess Cash Flow Value Funds), which invest in an event-driven equity and credit strategy Read More
The new Samsung patent details a system in which the fingerprint sensor is fixed to an opening on a printed circuit board. This helps maintain a safe distance between the sensor and the display, a crucial requirement for proper functioning.
Now that we know Samsung is working on advanced fingerprint sensor tech, it could mean that it will be included in the upcoming Galaxy S10.
One of the images in the patent application details an “optical” method with optical filters and layers. This suggests the technology is best suited for a premium device like the Galaxy S10. Further, an image shows a device similar to the Galaxy S9 with an Infinity Display design and curved edges.
Since the S9 is already out and we know it does not have an in-display fingerprint sensor, there are good chances that the Korean firm’s next flagship will feature the patented tech. If this image is of the Galaxy S10, then it may come with a display that folds underneath to connect with the logic board. Apple used a similar design for the iPhone X to eliminate the bottom bezel, and Samsung certainly knows the design well because it makes the iPhone X/XS displays for Apple.
Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner or optical in-display fingerprint sensor?
So far, it has been speculated that the Korean firm will use Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint scanner for the Galaxy S10. However, the new Samsung patent suggests the company could develop its own in-display sensor.
Lately, it has been a trend among smartphone makers to bring more production in-house. Such a strategy not only helps reduce their reliance on other manufacturers but also keeps costs in check.
However, ultrasonic sensors are technologically better than other in-display fingerprint sensors. Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is not vulnerable to water droplets or dirt. Further, it allows the full display to be used as a fingerprint sensor, rather than just part of it like with optical sensors.
Ultrasonic sensors do have some drawbacks as well, like they are more vulnerable to wind and temperature fluctuations. Optical sensors are also faster and more accurate. These could be the reasons Samsung is planning to use its own optical sensor instead of Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. Phone makers such as Xiaomi, OPPO, Huawei, and Vivo chose an optical sensor rather than an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner to keep their costs down.
Phone makers opting for in-display fingerprint scanner
Samsung has long been known to be working on an in-display fingerprint sensor. Initially, the tech was speculated to debut in the Galaxy S8, but Samsung has been delaying the in-display fingerprint sensor due to development issues. Now recent reports claim at least two of the three Galaxy S10 models will have in-display sensors.
If the new Samsung patent is anything to go by, the company could use its own in-display fingerprint sensor in the S10. However, nothing can be said with surety, as it is just a patent and the company has made no official confirmation about it. Tech companies regularly file patents, but not all patents end up being used in a final product.
An in-display fingerprint scanner is a trend these days as it helps phone makers free up space and make their phones bigger. Apple did a similar thing by removing the Home button and opting for Face ID. Other manufacturers are also doing a similar thing, but instead of Face ID, they are using an in-display fingerprint scanner.
Samsung is also adopting the same tech slowly. The company previously shifted the scanner from the front to the back, and the next step could be to conceal it under glass.


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- 2 min read
GST transitional claims of over Rs 1 crore to be scrutinised
To ensure only eligible credit is carried forward in the GST regime, the CBEC has asked field offices to match the credit claimed with closing balance in returns filed under the earlier law.
NEW DELHI:As much as Rs 65,000 crore out of the nearly Rs 95,000 crore tax collections in July — the first month of GST — have been claimed as transitional credit by taxpayers, prompting the apex indirect taxes body the Central Board of Excise and Customs to order a scrutiny of all cases above Rs 1 crore.
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, which kicked in from July 1, allows tax credit on stock purchased during the previous tax regime. This facility is available only up to six months from the date of GST rollout.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), the body which deals with formulation and implementation of policy concerning the levy and collection of indirect taxes, in a letter dated September 11 has asked tax officials to verify GST transitional credit claims of over Rs 1 crore. In the transitional credit form TRAN-1 filed by taxpayers along with their maiden returns for July, businesses have claimed a credit of over Rs 65,000 crore for excise, service tax or VAT paid before the GST was implemented from July 1.
In light of such huge claims, CBEC Member Mahender Singh in a letter to chief commissioners said that as per the GST law, carry forward of transitional credit is permitted only when such credit is permissible under the law.
"The possibility of claiming ineligible credit due to mistake or confusion cannot be ruled out... It is desired that the claims of ITC (input tax credit) of more than Rs 1 crore may be verified in a time-bound manner," the CBEC emphasised. It asked the chief commissioners to send a report to the CBEC by September 20 on the claims made by these companies.
To ensure only eligible credit is carried forward in the GST regime, the CBEC has asked field offices to match the credit claimed with closing balance in returns filed under the earlier law. They are also required to check if the credit is eligible under the GST laws. Till last week, as many as 70% of 59.57 lakh taxpayers had filed returns for July, amounting to maiden revenue of Rs 95,000 crore under the GST regime.
However, out of this, the input tax credit (ITC) data for Central GST (CGST) claimed in TRAN-1 has shown that registered businesses have claimed over Rs 65,000 crore as transitional credit. The government, in late August, had come out with form TRAN-1for businesses to claim credit for taxes paid on transition stock.


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The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), Washington, has released industry guidance that aims to clear up consumer confusion regarding the recyclability of pizza boxes. The guidance resulted from a study conducted by WestRock, a corrugated packaging company based in Atlanta.
According to WestRock’s study, 3 billion pizza boxes are placed on the market in the U.S. annually and are available to be recycled, equating to 600,000 tons of corrugated board. Pizza boxes represent 1.7 percent of the 35.9 million tons of all corrugated containerboard produced in the U.S. annually. If all pizza boxes were recovered for recycling, they would represent about 2.6 percent of the old corrugated containers (OCC) stream, or 2.2 percent of the OCC and mixed paper stream combined, WestRock states.
To evaluate the average grease level in pizza boxes received by recycling facilities, several WestRock single-stream material recovery facilities (MRFs) pulled pizza boxes out of their incoming streams and took pictures of their interiors.
WestRock reports that the general conclusion of the study was that the strength loss of the resulting product made with recovered fiber that incorporates postconsumer pizza boxes should be minimal at typical levels of grease expected to be received in a recycling facility and when included in the recovered fiber at expected levels of less than 3 percent furnish.
“The addition of small amounts of cheese will not impact the fiber bonding in a negative way,” the study concludes. “It is expected that the larger chunks of cheese will be screened out of the process. Therefore, there is no significant technical reason to prohibit postconsumer pizza boxes from the recycle stream.”
“Corrugated pizza boxes are successfully recycled every day at paper mills throughout the country, yet consumers remain confused by mixed messages suggesting that some boxes should not be put in the recycle bin,” says AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock. “So, let’s be clear: Pizza boxes are recyclable. Consumers should not be concerned about grease or cheese—simply remove any leftover pizza and place the box in the recycle bin. We encourage communities to update their residential recycling programs’ guidelines to explicitly accept pizza boxes that are free of food.”
In a recent membershipwide survey, 93.6 percent of AF&PA members that consume OCC report that they accept corrugated pizza boxes for recycling.
Fibre Box Association, The Independent Packaging Association and Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry also are joining AF&PA in encouraging consumers in their networks to recycle pizza boxes.
“When speaking at recycling conferences, the question I’m asked most often is: ‘Are pizza boxes recyclable,’” says Dennis Colley, president and CEO of the Fibre Box Association. “This guidance from AF&PA should give municipalities, recycling centers and households the information they need to confidently recycle pizza boxes.”
WestRock’s study on the impact of grease on recycling postconsumer pizza boxes can be found here.
Domino’s, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and its primary box supplier, WestRock, have also launched recycling.dominos.com to share facts about pizza box recycling. The website is a hub of information on pizza box recycling, including instructions on how to recycle pizza boxes and a guide for what to do if a customer’s community does not accept pizza boxes for recycling.
“Because nearly everything that leaves a Domino’s store leaves in a corrugated box, we know we have an opportunity to make a difference when it comes to packaging and recycling,” says Tim McIntyre, Domino’s executive vice president of communications. “Our goal is that our customers will set aside any misconceptions they have around the recyclability of pizza boxes, read the facts and put their empty box in the recycling bin or call their municipality and ask them to add pizza boxes to their collection.”
A total of 73 percent of the U.S. population is estimated to have recycling programs available for pizza boxes, according to a Resource Recycling Systems access study commissioned by WestRock in fall 2019. While 27 percent of the population is served by programs with explicit acceptance of pizza boxes, 46 percent of the population has access to programs that imply, but don’t say specifically, that they accept pizza boxes. The remainder are either unclear or say they cannot take pizza boxes.
Domino’s and WestRock are both members of The Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia. The Recycling Partnership is a nonprofit dedicated to improving accessibility to and quality of recycling. Domino’s, WestRock and another box supplier partnered to fund The Recycling Partnership’s development of materials for municipalities to update their recycling programs to include pizza boxes.
Additionally, Domino’s reports that it increased the recycled content in its pizza boxes from 40 percent to 72 percent this year. The pizza chain has also partnered with One Tree Planted to plant 50,000 trees across North America this year.
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The new generation of Mazda’s largest SUV will appear in early 2016. The 2017 Mazda CX-9 will arrive with a large number of changes compared to the current generation model. Some interesting details about the upcoming model, put forward a Mazda’s director of global sales and marketing Masahiro Moro.
The current generation of the CX-9 model is restyled in 2012. Then the car went through the process of improving the design and tweaking layout. From the 2016, when the new generation will be available, this model will be considerably different. A large number of parts and the details will be replaced by a new modern one.
2017 Mazda CX-9 Changes
The new generation of the CX-9 SUV will get a new engine. The current model is equipped with Ford’s V6 engine. 2017 Mazda CX-9 gets a brand new one. It is a four-cylinder 2.5-liter petrol engine with turbo charger. Besides the engine, the current model is used and other elements of the Ford company. And these parts and elements will be dismissed, and the company will rely on their own resources.
Besides the new engine, the 2017 Mazda CX-9 will get new systems and upgraded interior. The interior will be made of quality materials. The very creation of the interior will be of higher quality, with a large number of benefits and functional solutions. The new Mazda CX-9 will be even more perfect, and with interesting details. They will make driving more comfortable, and enjoy while driving greater.
Plenty of speculation was about the offer of diesel generators in the new generation. Many believe that it will not happen, because sales of this model is oriented towards the US market. On this market, these aggregates are not the most popular. However, many car manufacturers that their models sold on the mentioned markets, and offer models with diesel generators. Competitive models such as Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe, offer such models. We can say that the interest in such models is growing. Therefore, it should not be a surprise if the Mazda offer 2017 Mazda CX-9 diesel.
The exact date of start of sales is not specified. However, on the ground USA was spotted test sample of the new generation Mazda CX-9 SUV. It is certain that the release date moved closer. According to some sources, 2017 Mazda CX-9 will appear by the end of 2015. However, it is more probable assumption that the new generation of the SUV arrive during 2016.


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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WDTV)-- Ziebart opened it's doors today and allowed the community to come and see what they have to offer.
Ziebart celebrated it's grand opening in Morgantown.
The event had a food truck, a bounce house and the company offererd a chance to win free auto detailing for a year. This is the first Ziebart to open in West Virginia.
"We offer undercoating, rust protection, rhino-lining, detailing, window tint, ceramic paint protection," said owner, Nick Lambie.
Ziebart is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is located at 500 Fort Pierpont Drive.


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Featured Company of the Week: Green Tank TechnologiesCatherine DeMuro / Oct 28, 2018
We get it, world – you vape. And you deserve to be doing it right.
The idea for Green Tank Technologies was born when future CEO Dustin Koffler noticed his friends were vaping cannabis extract out of outdated vape hardware at his best friend’s wedding in 2015.
He was an employee of the e-cigarette industry and knew there had to be a more efficient way to vape cannabis. This realization led Dustin and his brother Corey to work to innovate the industry by developing a new cannabis-specific vape hardware. Their teamwork led to the creation of Green Tank Technologies.
TOUGH AS A TANK
Green Tank Technologies designs, develops, engineers, and customizes a range of different vaporizers specifically for cannabis extracts. Their repertoire includes upgraded cartridges, disposable pens, pod-based systems, and more. They use True-Taste Ceramic Core Technology for full flavor and maximum terpene profiles. Creating a high-quality product requires a high-quality team.
“The culture at Green Tank Technologies is fun, open, and collaborative,” said Director of Brand Development Derek Champoux.
“We try to surround ourselves with people that understand the industry, and understand what it is going to take in order to make Green Tank a reputable brand partner.”
If you’re passionate about creating a superior vaping experience, Green Tank would love to talk to you – they are hiring through Vangst!
Green Tank is currently seeking Regional & National Sales Reps, National Sales Managers, Junior Accountant, and Creative Coordinator (with graphic design background).
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
According to Champoux, Green Tank seeks creative problem-solvers with a positive attitude who have the ability to wear many hats and quickly adapt to the ever-changing industry landscape.
“With the cannabis industry in its infancy and becoming more mainstream, the ability to adapt and think on your feet in this ever changing landscape is extremely important,” he said. “You cannot remain complacent at the risk of falling behind the rest of the field.”
The interview process typically starts with a qualitative phone interview. The second step involves a first meeting with either a direct manager or with the executive team. A second in-person interview will be conducted before the candidate receives an initial offer.
“The value of being able to adapt and quickly think on your feet can not be emphasized enough,” said Champoux.
"The cannabis industry is young, and growing at a rapid pace. Everyone is growing and learning together, which is what makes it so exciting.”
Join the Vangst Network
Whether you’re looking for a cannabis industry job or searching for the top cannabis talent to drive your company’s growth, the Vangst hiring platform has all the tools you need to make that game-changing move. Sign up and join our network in minutes.Join Today


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Mobile app to buy tickets on the train Central suburban passenger company (CPPC) will be released before the end of June. In an interview with Mskagency said the Director of operations of the shipping company Vladimir Kozlov.
The topic of wearable devices has been actively promoted in the mass. And what better way to advertise your product than his presence on the wrist of famous people? The Fitbit is a reason to rejoice – U.S. President Barack Obama chose Watch Apple Watch fitness wristband Surge. About this, the world learned during the […]
Pebble has announced a new model of “smart” hours with the display on the electronic ink. In sale the device the Pebble 2 and Pebble 2 SE. Pebble 2 continues the tradition of appropriate gadgets are the first generation, but at least can boast the presence of heart rate sensor, which did not have predecessors. […]


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Android 30 May Moto Z2 and Z2 Play latest leaked images shown it in the protective case.
notify you when this product
will be available.
Motorola Moto Z2 PlayNewsNews
Android 28 May Moto Z2 Play unboxed ahead of the official announcement from the company.
Android 22 May Motorola Moto Z2 Play 3,000mAh battery confirmed by Lenovo official twitter account.
Android 16 May A new image of Moto Z2 Play has spotted. In the image, the device is spotted next to Moto Z and Z Play.


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FARM leaders fear supermarkets will turn to New Zealand to fill shelves vacated by Welsh Lamb from snow-hit farms.
FUW president Emyr Jones said the vast numbers of Welsh ewes and lambs killed in snowdrifts would have a long-term impact on the industry.
“There will be shortages of Welsh Lamb this year and supermarkets will simply fill the gap by buying in more lamb from New Zealand,” he warned.
Red meat body Hybu Cig Cymru agreed that lamb numbers will fall significantly this year.
In December, total sheep numbers in Wales had risen 3% to almost 6m – but the sector had since struggled with weather and disease
Liver fluke and the Schmallenberg Virus had taken their toll along with the heavy snow, said HCC’s John Richards.
But he insisted shoppers would have few problems finding Welsh Lamb.
He added: “It is possible that the dynamics of supply and demand will change, however. This could mean that retail prices will change.”
A Welsh Government survey in December charted a 27% rise in lamb numbers to just over 2m – mostly due to poor finishing conditions.
Defra figures show that almost 60,000 extra lambs were slaughtered in Wales in the first two months of the year, depressing prices.


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Five of our writers share their thoughts on Beyond: Two Souls, Minecraft, its creator, Notch, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel and Medal of Honor: Warfighter. Join us, and share your thoughts!
'Dead Space 3' executive producer, Steve Papoutsis, claims that 'reviewer' and 'player' feedback factored heavily into the upcoming game's development. However, is that a good thing?
Many have speculated that 'Dead Space 3' is eschewing fear for action with its new co-op mode. EA has acknowledged that, while the game sticks to each of its horror roots, co-op can help to smooth out the ride.
'Dead Space 3' producer, John Calhoun clarifies what fans can expect from the upcoming survival horror game - including co-op details, the 'open world' of Tau Volantis as well as showcases a major boss battle.
EA and Visceral have released some new 'Dead Space 3' gameplay footage, including a look at singleplayer, putting to rest fears that the game will forgo horror elements.
Co-op looks to be a defining feature of 'Dead Space 3' when the game releases this February. But can EA balance their push for mainstream accessibility with the series' reputation among fans?
EA fully unveiled 'Dead Space 3' today, confirming the existence of co-op and the return of series protagonist Isaac Clarke. Prepare to fight necromorphs with a buddy next February!
While 'Dead Space 3' won't officially be shown off until EA's Monday E3 press conference, a new leak has outed a cover system, coop campaign, and February 2013 release.
We discuss the 38 Studios layoffs, 'Gears of War: Judgment', 'Dead Space 3' coop, Ubisoft's E3 press conference and anticipation for next generation. Join us, and share your thoughts!
New 'Dead Space 3' Screenshots have been leaked, confirming co-op gameplay. The series looks to be going in a more action-oriented direction this time around.
The first 'Dead Space 3' image along with a graphic novel teaser trailer confirm that systems engineer-turned-galactic hero, Isaac Clarke, is going to fight the Necromorph threat on a frozen planet.
The latest 'Dead Space 3' rumors suggest Issac's next journey will feature a co-op partner - and some new moves for the psychologically tormented engineer.
'Dead Space 3' has yet to be officially announced, but was briefly available for pre-order at South African retailer BT Games.
'Army of Four' has been rumored to be in development for while, but we just may have more confirmation: tweets from an actor mentioning voice work performed on 'Ao4.'
A recent job listing at EA has revealed that 'Dead Space' developer Visceral Games is working on an online multiplayer shooter, likely without ties to their beloved horror franchise.


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L Brands Inc., the parent company of Victoria's Secret, just announced they'll be shuttering doors on no less than 53 locations of the lingerie brand, citing a drop in sales and a disappointing holiday season.
Victoria's Secret has become "more promotional than we would like over the last several years", Ed Razek, the CEO of parent company L Brands, said in a call with analysts Thursday.
The store announced that rising costs and plateauing sales mean that the brand was down by 45 percent for the 2018 fiscal year. L Brands said it closed 30 Victoria's Secret stores in 2018, already up from its average of 15 store shutdowns a year.
N. Korea forced to rethink nuclear talks with United States : top official
Both Kim and Trump, meanwhile, left the summit looking full of optimism that a deal would be struck in the future. But he said Kim had assured him he will continue to hold off on nuclear and missile tests.
Dozens of Victoria's Secret stores, including some in Canada, are being earmarked for closure as owner L Brands looks to shore up poor financial performance at the lingerie chain.
Although a change in strategy appears necessary for the survival of Victoria's Secret, which has stuck to the same marketing strategy for decades, it may not sit well with consumers. "And we are intensely focused on improving results".
Meanwhile, sales for the company's other brand, Bath and Body Works, were favorable, the company reported.
Trump claims Cohen book would prove ex-aide is a liar
Trump even had his attorneys review Cohen's prepared statements before delivering them to Congress. In the book, Cohen listed names Trump had been called, including "liar", and then dismissed them.
The store faces competition by such newer lingerie retailers as Adore Me, which opened its first US store in the Mall past year.
A popular retailer is closing more stores than usual after reporting declining profits.
JCPenney's 2018 fourth quarter net sales fell 9.5 percent from 2017, dropping from $4.05 billion to $3.67 billion, according to the release. This marked its 16th consecutive quarter of double-digit positive growth. On Thursday, L Brands' stocks dropped almost 7 percent.
Cohen To Detail Alleged Trump Lawbreaking. White House: He's A 'Convicted Liar'
The bombshells are expected to really drop on Wednesday when Cohen appears in public before the House Oversight Committee. At his December sentencing Cohen, a former Trump loyalist, blamed his misdeeds on "a blind loyalty" to Mr Trump.
The numbers say as much about what's been going on outside of Victoria's Secret as within it.


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The island is piloting a single-touch biometric identity system that will enable citizens to carry out a number of transactions with the government.
The island of Madeira is rolling out a pilot programme to provide a digital identity platform to allow citizens to perform a range of transactions.
It is part of the Government’s smart island programme and will be enabled by a high-security biometric system-on-card (BSoC) product, provided by technology group Tactilis.
It incorporates a government-grade fingerprint sensor and standard smartcard chip which enables it to be used with conventional terminals already deployed on the island.
The M-Smart biometric security research and development project was developed at the Madeira living laboratory. A consortium of system integrator companies working under the umbrella name ’Power of Touch’ has been put together to implement it.
The consortium has ordered 3,400 cards and 600 wireless card readers/carriers to help advance the smart island programme that initially comprises 12 projects covering sectors such as education, healthcare, port security, transport, payments and tourism as well as a wide range of government services.
From a security and privacy standpoint, the Tactilis card’s biometric identity system employs decentralised architecture, meaning that the rightful owner’s fingerprint biometrics are stored securely in their own personal card – kept in their own wallet – protected by their own fingerprints and are not needed in a centralised database.
"It will enable our government and related agencies to deliver a wider range of services securely whilst managing their operations more efficiently."
The government wants to ensure that its citizens have trusted access to both physical locations and a wide and fast-growing range of digital-based services as well as help to equip them to participate in emerging technology trends such as cryptocurrencies, shared economy platforms and the use of blockchain.
The smart island programme is financially supported by the Madeira government and the European Union.
“The Government of Madeira is very enthusiastic about the vast possibilities for this technology and its ability to make the life of Madeirans more convenient, safe and secure,” said Madeira president, Miguel Albuquerque.
“At the same time, it will enable our government and related agencies to deliver a wider range of services securely whilst managing their operations more efficiently. Madeira is well positioned to pioneer this technology to the rest of the world. We now look forward to seeing the first pilots start early next year and the full roll-out commencing later in 2020.”
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(Reuters) - Rogers Communications Inc (RCIb.TO), Canada’s largest mobile phone company, said on Wednesday quarterly profit rose after stripping out special items, as a wave of new smartphone subscribers boosted wireless revenue.
Rogers added 76,000 net postpaid wireless subscribers, compared with 74,000 in the same period last year. Apple Inc’s (AAPL.O) iPhone 5 went on sale late in the third quarter.
Postpaid subscribers, who sign multi-year contracts, typically pay more each month than prepaid customers.
Rogers, which also owns television stations, magazines and the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team, activated about 707,000 smartphones, up from 609,000 last year, and 36 percent of the new devices were for new wireless customers.
The percentage of postpaid subscribers using smartphones rose to 65 percent by the end of the quarter, up from 52 percent a year earlier, and wireless data revenue jumped 18 percent.
Net income fell to C$466 million ($470 million) in the quarter ended September 30, or 90 Canadian cents a share, from C$491 million, or 87 Canadian cents, a year earlier.
Excluding restructuring costs and other items, earnings rose to C$495 million, or 96 Canadian cents a share, from C$489 million, or 90 Canadian cents, a year earlier. Operating revenue rose 1.4 percent to C$3.18 billion.
Analysts, on average, had been expecting earnings of 88 Canadian cents a share on revenue of C$3.16 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Reporting by Allison Martell in Toronto; Additional reporting by Maneesha Tiwari in Bangalore; Editing by Supriya Kurane and Frank McGurty


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After cancellation of the California mid-state fair, the junior livestock show and auction was conducted virtually.
The auction raised more than one million dollars for local FFA and 4-H members. Buyers used an online platform to check out the animals and to place their bets.
Regardless, because of the government imposed shut down, fewer animals were shown and auctioned off this year. Last year, 900 animals were entered. This year, it was 530.
Hailey Rose Switzer says some 4-H and FFA members opted not to raise animals this year.


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March 30, 2015
Day by day, we witness radical innovations taking place in the payments industry. Not only are there new emerging payment systems that are more robust than ever before, but even consumer behavior is changing, creating more opportunities for the payments industry. There are a number of stakeholders involved who are actually bringing the change that the payments industry needs. Many of them are are worthy of acclaim for what they have done so far, but in this article I would like to cite three particular dark horses of the industry. These 3 companies have indeed made big moves and facilitated solutions that have helped them gain prominence. Let’s have a look at what these three have brought to the payments industry so far:
In the US P2P payments space, there are many companies in the spotlight such as Fiserv, Square, PayPal, Venmo, Google Wallet and Dwolla. But how about a well established P2P payments network that belongs to the banks, wher ...


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Abstract recently, some netizens broke the news that the "Tianya community" is seeking to transfer, and exposed its "open transfer instructions". Subsequently, Tianya chairman Xing Ming denied that " was sold; " rumors, and said the plans listed on the new board, to be listed on the gem, and " public transfer " is a step in the listing of three new board.
" Tianya is sold " rumors will be silent for a long time, the Tianya community once again pull back to people’s vision. It is reported that Tianya plan intends to community games, community e-commerce, Internet banking and other business transformation. However, and regardless of the first two directions, only the hottest Internet banking, Tianya can play it?
1, Tianya Internet banking has long been clues
early in March this year, Xing Ming in " 2015 China Internet investment and M & a conference " had said, Tianya also will be on the line " the world of wealth, indicates that the " network; Tianya will enter the Internet in the financial sector.
with the capital market policy adjustment and reform, across the Internet companies listed before the profit requirements, valuation model and other obstacles are eliminated, and Premier Li Keqiang this year on " +" Internet; speech enhanced market confidence. No wonder the skyline community, which originally existed as a stock forum, also has ambitions for Internet banking.
2, skyline still has how many net worth,
three new board can make people overnight, but also allows people a night of extreme poverty. And for the end of the world, landing three new board faces the test, and three new board brings the same opportunities. The financial industry is " the money from the nearest " industry, now want to enter the Internet financial market, no money is absolutely not, so in 16 years after the creation of the world, how much is left for the transformation of
exposure of the transfer prospectus content shows that Tianya community’s main source of income is still advertising, and the last two years has been a continuous loss. And after a year, the world’s net assets from 2013’s 29 million 65 thousand and 500 yuan fell sharply to 4 million 947 thousand yuan in 2014, net assets per share of 0.05 yuan, less than 1 yuan per par value.
for loss, Tianya said: ", the main Department of the company is in the business transformation and investment period, the company continued R & D investment and business layout formation. " at the same time, Xing Ming says, advertising revenue has reached a ceiling. As data shows, today’s skyline is " the " without money; why is there a lot of banking and insurance in the Internet?


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With less than a month left to go for the official launch of the OnePlus One smartphone leaks are bound to flood the Internet due to its high-profile presence. It’s a known fact that it will carry onboard the Android-based CyanogenMod OS, but what we’re seeing here is most probably our first glimpse of the device’ software.
For those familiar with CyanogenMod distributions, that lock screen will indeed seem a lot unfamiliar. It’s fresh and it does not kick in the standard unlock slider. This difference is probably owing to the fact that the OS has been granted enhancements by OnePlus itself to maintain its originality.
As Engadget – the source of this news – points out, this software is called CyanogenMod 11S. However, traditionally there is no alphabet in the names of these distributions. While the first screenshot proves that a clock as well as information about date, weather, battery level and text messages will be at hand through the lock screen, the second image tells us that this OS is based on the latest version of Android – 4.4.2 KitKat.
The OnePlus One smartphone will be unveiled on April 23, so there’s still lots of time for the much revered leak brigade to do their thing.
Here’s a list of its confirmed specs:
– Quad core Snapdragon 801 processor
– 5.5-inch 1080p JDI display
– 13MP rear camera, 5MP front shooter
– 3100mAh battery


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By Yimou Lee
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan's Foxconn explores sales of its new $ 8.8 billion factory in China, people said in a statement to Reuters, as demand for the product declines amid intensifying U.S. China trade war.
Foxconn, formally known as the Hon Hai Precision Industry, is in talks to appoint banks to find a buyer for its liquid crystal display (LCD) factory built in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, said two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
A sale would come at a delicate time for Foxconn, which has extensive investments in China, a large selection of US customers including Apple Inc, and who must navigate a difficult path amid the protracted trade war between Washington and Beijing. It would mark one of the biggest divestments from China.
Foxconn's discussions are at an initial stage, and a price tag for the so-called Gen-10.5 system specializing in large-screen LCDs has yet to come up, the sources said, adding a sale was not a bailout .
"It's not an easy sale, and it may take some time," said one source, citing lukewarm global demand for large-screen LCDs.
Foxconn, in a written statement to Reuters, said: "As a matter of corporate policy, Foxconn does not respond to market rumors or speculation." The sources asked for anonymity because the deliberations are confidential.
U.S. President Donald Trump vigorously lifted shares in the Blue Brand Trade War with China and swept global financial markets by promising Thursday to impose a $ 10 billion US $ 300 billion tariff in China from September 1.
The trade war has disrupted technology's global supply chains in an important way, forcing Foxconn to consider its own. That and declining demand for large TV screens and screens had prompted Foxconn's management to seek a buyer for the LCD system, said one of the sources familiar with the management's mindset.
Foxconn also raised questions about the need for the Guangzhou project. "Existing plants are not already running at full capacity … why need a new one," the source said.
The second source said that the new plant would not go into production until early October, making it less appealing to buyers because of the added risk compared to an already operational plant.
Nikkei reported earlier this year that the company would postpone most of its planned production in Guangzhou for a minimum of six months, but Foxconn said the project was planned. .
Baptized the largest single investment ever in the southern city by Chinese media, Foxconn announced the Guangzhou facility in 2016, hoping to start operations by 2019 to meet an expected increase in demand for big screen TV is and displays in Asia in a challenge to the top Chinese viewer BOE Technology Group.
The project was mainly driven by a joint venture between the Guangzhou government and Japan's Sakai Display Products, an advanced nelf-owned company owned by Foxconn founder Terry Gou and Japan's Sharp Corp, Foxconn's display unit.
The Japanese panel manufacturer said on Thursday that it would build a plant in Vietnam to make flat screens and electronic devices to protect against additional US import tariffs on Chinese goods.
The global display industry has struggled with supply and tumbling revenues due to morbid sales of TVs and smartphones, and the worsening trade conflict that could raise product prices and dampen consumer demand.
On Thursday, Sharp reported a double-digit decline in profits for the quarter ended June due to slow demand for technology.
In April, Taipei-based Foxconn said it was still committed to building a display and technology research facility in Wisconsin amid growing skepticism about the fate of the $ 10 billion project. Trump had cited Foxconn's Wisconsin plans as proof that he was reviving American production.
But Foxconn is already under the spotlight for having failed so far in meeting Wisconsin job creation goals.
The company told Reuters earlier this year that it was reconsidering plans to make advanced LCD panels in Wisconsin.
(Reporting by Yimou Lee; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Muralikumar Anantharaman)


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Since its inception, roaming services have been causes of anxiety over bill shock and ballooning expenses. Consumers were worried over sending text messages or accidentally clicking on the mobile data switch. Smart Communications (Smart) is now targeting global services in their latest push for increased telco coverage.
The telco brand is expanding the coverage of its Surf Abroad 550 data roaming package to cover 112 countries around the world, including travelers’ favorites like Paris and Tokyo. Back in June, the package covered only 57 countries, a big number even then. This month’s expansion has almost doubled this number. And they’re not stopping. Smart is increasing that number to 180 countries by the end of the year.
Moreover, Surf Abroad 550 is now available as a fully automated service for Smart Postpaid subscribers for a worry-free data roaming experience. All consumers have to do is to turn on the data roaming function on their phones. Unlike before, there is no more need to register through text message or calling hotlines.
Smart’s improved data roaming offers cater to a growing market of young travelers, often referred to as “millennials,” which are increasingly traveling for leisure in other countries given new overseas routes and lower airfare promos made available by local airlines. This young market isn’t afraid of using technology to their advantage even while overseas. They see the need for using their apps despite geographical challenges. Global Internet usage is an amenity for these users.
The Surf Abroad 500 package is powered by network-lock technology which automatically selects partnered networks from all over the world as soon as the user steps foot on foreign soil. More than removing the hassle of manually selecting foreign networks, users will also be alerted if they select a network that Smart is not affiliated with. Smart’s Enterprise Subscribers will still be able to access these non-affiliated networks at the cost of regular rates. This prevents bill shock when he or she returns home.
Once the service is active, subscribers will receive an SMS notification informing them that they have already been subscribed to the enhanced Surf Abroad 550 package. Once activated for only P500 per day, the package will allow users to access to high-speed mobile Internet connections in covered countries. This includes travel-centric apps like Airbnb, Whatsapp, Viber, Google Maps, and even Uber.
Smart has also announced that the Surf Abroad 550 package will also be available to Prepaid subscribers in the very near future.
For more information on this new offer, visit smart.com.ph/postpaidsurfabroad.


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SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- Pope Francis's use of the quirky Soul boxy compact by Kia Motors Corp as his popemobile clearly highlights the pontiff's down-to-earth image and penchant to be one with ordinary people.
Diplomatic, industry and religious sources said Thursday the first head of the Roman Catholic Church to visit the country in 25 years had insisted from the outset that he wanted the "smallest" South Korean-made car possible and declined large luxury vehicles that can be properly bullet proofed.
The second-generation Soul, with a Newport Blue Pearl exterior and a 1.6-liter petro engine under the hood, is certainly not the smallest car made in the country, yet it is smaller than the midsize sedans and SUVs that have become the vehicles of choice by many locals.
The pope, after taking office last year, has eschewed the use of a custom-made popemobile with Plexiglas windows and armored side panels and insisted on riding in compact cars made by such large volume manufacturers as Fiat S.p.A., Renault S.A. and Ford Motor Co. He even rode in a minibus with other cardinals.
His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, often rode in a Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV for ceremonial occasions and on trips abroad.
Pope Francis has been quoted as calling the popemobile he inherited a "sardine can" and urged other church officials to think about all the countless number of people who do not have enough to eat, before they use high-end cars.
Related to the pope's choice of car, that will sport the "status civitatis Vaticanae-1" license plate, Kia, South Korea's second-largest carmaker, did not release any official statements, stressing it does not advertise matters related to religion or its leaders.
A corporate source, however, said in private that the pontiff's use of the Soul could help promote the car to prospective consumers down the line.
The Soul, made famous by its Hamster commercials, has been a popular car for the carmaker thanks to its unique shape, practicality and modest sticker price.
Because it is a box type, it has excellent room for passengers and offers good visibility. The newer version released in late 2013 has been cited for much improved handling and ride quality compared to the previous model.
Kia, one of the flagship companies of Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest automotive conglomerate, said it had sold some 961,138 Souls as of July of this year, with demand being high among young people and in countries such as the United States.
The car that first reached consumers in 2008 has been particularly popular in overseas markets, where combined sales have reached 881,549 units. This includes 55,195 cars built abroad and makes up 91.7 percent of all Soul's sold so far.
In the January-July period of this year alone, Soul sales reached 142,015, with 136,312 cars being sold in foreign markets.
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